Does anybody actually work here?
Let's start this discussion with a question: Is library staff important?
Public computing : Thoughts from the field
Librarians generally don’t like to say “No” to patrons: no, you can’t do this, no, you can’t have this. But they don’t understand the technical challenges involved as we try to preserve and protect public computers so that everyone has…
3 truths about your library’s website
I create websites for public libraries. I’ve been doing that for more than 15 years. In that time, I’ve learned a few things, especially in my current job, where I work on sites for multiple libraries. I’ve learned some hard…
How to hire a library tech: Part 4 (Warning Signs & Final Advice)
As a followup to the Head Meets Desk posts, I asked techs and administrators from around the Web to send me their best advice on hiring IT staff for a library. What follows, here in Part Four, is the advice…
How to hire a library tech: Part 3 (The Interview)
As a followup to the Head Meets Desk posts, I asked techs and administrators from around the Web to send me their best advice on hiring IT staff for a library. What follows, here in Part three, is the advice…
How to hire a tech: Part Two (Job ads and requirements)
As a followup to the Head Meets Desk posts, I asked techs and administrators from around the Web to send me their best advice on hiring IT staff for a library. What follows, here in Part Two, is the advice…
How to hire a library tech (Part One)
As a followup to the Head Meets Desk posts, I asked techs and administrators from around the Web to send me their best advice on hiring IT staff for a library. What follows, here in Part One, is the advice…
Head Meets Desk (Part Two)
(You can see Part One here.) Last time on MeanLaura, I shared stories from library IT staff about moments they had with non-tech staff that were frustrating. This week, I’m sharing more stories, this time about some of the…interesting…things that…
Head Meets Desk (Part One)
A little while ago, I put out a call to the public library IT community to share their best (worst?) “Head meets desk” moments. You know, those times when they drove out to a branch, only discover that the thing…
What would YOU tell them? [Need help]
I need some help from all of you, this time round. If you are an IT professional in a library, or a staff member who has to deal with technology all day, you have probably had a moment or two…
Ignorantiaphobia
It’s no secret, yet it’s not widely talked about. There’s a divide in library staff. It’s not between degreed and the not, and it’s not digital. It’s not about who uses Twitter and who doesn’t. This divide may not…
Technofascists, technophobes and cyborgs…oh my?
Several weeks ago I had the privilige of attending the Virtual Worlds: Museums, Libraries and Educators conference held in the virtual world of Second Life. One of the sessions I attended was “Cyborg Learning: How to Engage Young Minds” by…
How to hire a good tech for your library?
I think that one of the most difficult hiring decisions a public library has to make is that of a tech.1 Although the systems that enable all of the digital resources of the library are truly mission-critical, they represent one…